Chili garlic noodles are spicy, flavorful and a quick, wholesome meal under 30 minutes. Al dente noodles are stir fried with veggies, protein of choice and a chili garlic sauce.
Indo Chinese cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in India. All the popular Chinese dishes from India, fried rice, hakka noodles, ginger chicken, chili chicken are Indianized to the Indian palate. Chili garlic noodles is also one of them.
Table of contents
About the Recipe
I got the chili garlic noodles recipe from my cousin, who noted it down from a TV cookery show. I adapted the recipe, modified it over the years and am sharing the adapted recipe.
Original recipe had a long list of sauces and I eventually ended up using only two. We are liking this version a lot and make it at least once a week,
Noodles are spicy, loaded with veggies and protein, which makes it a hearty meal by itself. We usually eat it without a side dish and sometimes, I pair it with chili shrimp. Sometimes I use the chili shrimp base and substitute shrimp with vegetables or chicken.
Ingredients
- Noodles - I use Ching's Secret Hakka noodles. These come both in veg and egg and both work fine. You can use any brand you like.
- Protein - Egg, shrimp, chicken, tofu or paneer work great. I have not used paneer but it should work ktoo. I usually do either egg, chicken or shrimp and sometimes do a combination of egg and chicken/shrimp as mentioned in the recipe.
- Vegetables - Green beans cut into french style and carrots julienne are my go to vegetables. You can add strips of green bell peppers and green peas. (check tip below)
- Sauces - Tamari sauce or soya sauce and chili garlic sauce. I prefer tamari sauce over soya sauce and find tamari more flavorful. It is almost gluten free Japanese soya sauce.
- Chilies - Chopped green chilies and red dry chilies for flavor. I usually skip reed chilies. If You do so, adjust chilies and black pepper powder accordingly.
- Salt & Pepper - Salt and black pepper powder is for noodles, eggs and also for marinating chicken.
Meal Prep Tip
Chopped Vegetables - The most time consuming part of the prep work is cutting green beans and carrots. You can buy carrot julienne and frozen French style green beans. These come in very handy for a quick meal fix.
Protein - Cut chicken into small pieces, marinate it with little salt and pepper, and freeze. To use, thaw in the refrigerator a day before or for 30 minutes to an hour in warm water. Use frozen peeled and deveined small shrimp and thaw it in warm water before use.
Step by Step Instructions
Take a big pot full of water and bring to a boil. For 2 packets of noodles, you will need at least a 3 quart pot. Add noodles to boiling water (pic #1 in the collage). Cook for 4-5 minutes (#2) or as per instructions on the back of the packet.
Once al dente or cooked, drain the noodles and run them under cold water. Sprinkle oil on the noodles and mix well (#3). This is to avoid sticky noodles.
In a bowl take some water, 2-3 teaspoons, pinch of salt, black pepper powder and mix. Add eggs and beat the egg lightly. In a wok or a skillet heat little bit of oil, spread it around the pan. Once oil is hot, pour beaten egg and spread turning the pan around (# 4).
When omelet is lightly set, flip (#5). If the omelet breaks, that is fine. Cut it into small strips, pieces or scramble using the spoon. Cooking until egg strips/pieces are just set (#6), should take 1 – 2 minutes. Do not over cook and keep aside.
In the same wok or a pan, heat oil. Add red chilies, chopped garlic (#7) and let roast for a few seconds. Add chicken (#8) or protein of your choice and saute for a minute or two. Then add onion (#9) and saute until soft. Add green chilies (#10) and mix well.
Now add carrots, beans, salt and pepper (#11), and sauté for a couple of minutes until the veggies are tender. You can also cover the pan (#12). Once the veggies are tender, but firm, add sauces (#13), give a good stir.
Then add cooked noodles, egg strips/pieces (#14). Stir fry for 2- minutes or until noodles are done. Lastly add green onions or cilantro, fry for a few seconds and serve hot.
Serving
Noodles are spicy and do not need any side dish. Serve as is, with some Sriracha sauce, with chili shrimp or any Chinese gravy of your choice. You can replace shrimp in chili garlic shrimp with chicken, tofu, paneer or mushroom for a variation.
Expert Tips
Do not overcook noodles. Noodles should be soft, yet firm. Texture of the dish depends on how you cook the noodles. I usually use timer so that I do not forget and overcook. Also immediately after draining, run under cold water to stop the cooking process and then sprinkle oil.
Chili Garlic Noodles
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board & a knife
- 1 3-4 quart Saucepan
- 1 Colander
- 1 Wok or a saute pan
Ingredients
- 2 packet 150 grams each Noodles (can use egg noodles or vegetable noodles)
- 5 tablespoon n Oil 1 tbsp. sprinkle on cooked noodles, 1 tablespoon for eggs and rest to chili garlic noodles
- 2 Large Egg
- 2 Red Dry Chilies
- 3 Garlic Clove chopped or approx. 1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
- 1 pound Boneless Chicken Thighs cut into small pieces or strips (adjust quantity to your preference)
- 4 small Green Chillies chopped
- ½ medium sized Onion Sliced, approx. ½ cup sliced onion
- 3 medium Carrot julienned, approximately 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cut carrot julienne
- 30 Green Beans julienned, 1 ½ cup French Beans julienne
- 2 teaspoon Soya Sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce it is spicy, adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- ½ cup Green Onion sliced or chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cooking Noodles: Take a big pot full of water and bring to a boil. For 2 packets of noodles, you will need at least a 3 quart pot. Add noodles to boiling water and cook noodles for 4-5 minutes or as per instructions on the back of the packet.
- Once the noodles are cooked, drain the noodles and run them under cold water. Sprinkle ½ tbsp. of oil and on the noodles and mix well. This is to avoid sticky noodles.
- Egg: In a bowl take some water (2-3 teaspoons), pinch of salt, black pepper powder and mix. Add eggs and beat the egg lightly.
- In a wok or a skillet, heat tablespoon oil and spread it around the pan.
- Once oil is hot, pour the beaten egg and spread turning the pan around.
- When the omelet is lightly set, flip. If the omelet breaks, that is fine.
- Cut it into small strips, pieces or scramble using the spoon. Cooking until egg strips/pieces are just set, should take 1 – 2 minutes. Do not over cook, transfer to a plate and keep aside.
- Putting it all together:
- In the same wok or a pan, heat oil. Add red chilies, chopped garlic and let roast for a few seconds.
- Add chicken and saute for a minute or two. Then add onion and saute until soft. Add green chilies and mix well.
- Now add carrots, beans, salt and pepper, and sauté for a couple of minutes until the veggies are tender. You can also cover the pan.
- Once the veggies are tender, but firm, add sauces and give a good stir.
- Then add cooked noodles and egg strips/pieces. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes or until noodles are done.
- Lastly add green onions or cilantro, fry for a few seconds and serve hot.
Notes
- Veggies - Carrots and beans are my go to vegetables but you can use bell peppers strips and peas as well.
- Eggs - Recipe calls for 1 egg per 1 packet. If eggs are the only protein you are using, depending on your liking, you can use up to 2 eggs per packet.
- Protein - Replace chicken with the shrimp or portion of your choice.
- Noodles - do not over cook noodles. I usually use timer so that I do not forget and over cook. Also immediately after draining, run under cold water to stop the cooking process and then sprinkle oil.
- Nutrition - values listed are approximate.
Nutrition
Signup to the newsletter to receive latest updates from MySpicyKitchen.
This post was originally published in Jan 2014. It is republished with new content and images.
Sharmila Kingsly says
Seeing the ingredients itself makes me hungry!! Love such easy to whip up yummy noodles!
Srivalli says
This dish sounds fantastic Usha..I am sure my kids will love this one with noodles and chicken in it too!
Vaishali says
Strange that I like garlic noodles , but have never really made them . In fact , I hardly cook Chinese as our restaurant chef works at the office and he is an excellent Chinese chef !
Sushma says
Noodles look so perfect and delicious.
sreevalli says
Yummy noodles.. Sounds tempting.
Pavani says
I love noodles and this is such a yummy looking dish -- simple & delicious.
Suja ilangovan says
Sounds delicious!! Will try this next time, I make noodles. Thanks for sharing 🙂
themadscientitskitchen says
I am not crazy about garlic but hubby is so obviously there is a lot of garlic going around in my kitchen. This one he will love absolutely thrilled. Thanks.
PJ says
That's a really delicious version of noodles! Looks so inviting...
Arthy Shama says
Noodles looks perfect! this one is my sister's favourite. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mireille says
those look so tasty